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5/20/09

and NOW for some positive thinking...

5.20.09

A few words to start...I am a very positive person. I never respond to negativity or anything like that because I'm just a happy person. YouTube is a positive place. BUILD UP your fellow guru. Appreciate what everyone has to offer. When you put yourself out there and JOIN in on this community, embrace everyone. Don't look at it as a competition or as a way to tear down anyone. That's so sad. Of course, we are in a place where free speech is embraced and of course eveyone is entitled to their opinions, but in my opinion, however you look at it, belittling others is not ok. We should be here because we enjoy what we're doing and want to share it with others, not to criticize. I'm here because I love helping others and have a passion for makeup. That's the bottom line.

Now to what inspired this post...

I saw a really disturbing video today sent to me by a friend where another person on YT was complaining about bigger beauty gurus. I know you guys will be curious if you haven't seen it, but I really don't think it's right to empower this person in any way because I think it was very unfair and uncalled for. She was more than entitled to her opinion, but so am I. It was sad because not only was she speaking of something that she may not have fully understood because the truth is, she doesn't know who really takes the time to answer all their messages or respond to as many people as they can. More importantly, she doesn't know what hard work it is to actually respond to every single message when you also have a job and a family outside of youtube. I wouldn't feel the need to respond, but I feel that it's not fair for you guys to be fed this negative information by someone who has no idea how many messages we respond to or who we reply to. I also think it's sad that some of you who saw the video were asked to start a negative dialogue and were encouraged to LEAVE NEGATIVE COMMENTS about OTHER BEAUTY GURUS in the comment section. So sad.

I really feel no need to explain myself, but I take offense when my subscribers are lied to or are being given false information or MOST OF ALL, being encouraged to be negative. Here are my thoughts...

When I had 2,000 subscribers, could I have done that, YES. Because I now have over 50,000, is that a possibility anymore?? NO. As sad as that is, it's true. Has my outlook and love for my subscribers changed?? NO. I pride myself on trying to answer most if not all of the messages I get everyday. I usually sit down every few days and go through them. Is it tedious? YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT. Do I always have time?? NO. That would be like replying to an average of 100 emails a day, with AT LEAST a paragraph because you're giving advice and answering detailed questions. I do that because in my heart, I feel its right. I don't always have time to, and of course, that means that your question may not get around to being answered for a few days, or even a week, but that's just how it works, as much as I would love to be able to respond to everyone right away. Sounds cliche, but it's very true.

About twitter... There's a little feature some may not know about under settings where you can select your @replies settings. (EDIT...apparently twitter removed that setting...MAKES SENSE because who wants to see every @reply someone they follow sends? See the article here.) Let's pretend for a moment... Let's say you are following me, and a popular makeup guru named CHUCK (haha), because lets face it, CHUCK is awesome. Now, CHUCK and I are friends and follow each other also. When CHUCK and I reply to each other YOU will see it if you have your twitter set to show you only @ replies to people you are following (that's the default setting). Get it..??? So let's say I reply to someone that YOU don't follow. Then you wont see it. So you really don't see who all I send @replies to. Which leads me to believe that this person doesn't really realize who all is being replied to.Can I reply to EVERYONE on twitter?? NO. Chances are if you follow me and reply to me a lot, I've replied to you. That's just how it works. Let's think back to earlier today... I send a tweet about my car and how hot it was (super important stuff...haha). Out of roughly 6,000 people, how many replies do you think I got that were along the lines of people describing a similar situation or something like that? A lot. Which I LOVE. I read all of them. Can I pick and choose one or two people to reply to? sure. Can I reply to everyone all the time....Certainly not. That's silly.Also, today I tweeted about an issue I was having with YT. I got so many helpful responses from people saying that they had a similar situation. Crisis averted..haha. Twitter is such a cool thing. Anway, instead of @replying 20 people, I replied that I was not the only one and a quick thanks because others were having the problem too.That's just how twitter works. It's impossible to reply to everyone. Unless you were planning on spamming out your whole twitter page with one word responses as well as the people who follow you if they see your @replies. Do I answer questions? Of course. When I see them or have time! Just like anyone else would.You'll find that if you follow me on twitter, I'm pretty good about @replying most of the time. I just think that some people don't understand how crazy it gets. Not only that, but that my want to reply to EVERYONE is still there. I still want to help every single person that takes the time to write me. I honestly feel pretty proud that I try to be good at corresponding with my subscribers.

BOTTOM LINE... I feel no need to explain myself. You guys know that I appreciate you and how this stuff works. But I would hate for someone to be fed false information or to be swayed into negative feelings by one person on YT who doesn't fully have all the facts or know the situations of EVERYONE they referred to by inviting negative comments about beauty gurus (sickening). I love you all and I think you guys know that :)

*EDIT* 5.22.09Thanks everyone for the kind words and support <3>I know you guys are smart and can see through stuff, I just felt the need to respond and give my take on the situation since I'm in that situation she spoke of and I know how crazy things can get and how hard it would be for me to criticize anyone making videos on here that has a lot on their plate, ESPECIALLY after experiencing it myself. ...and that being busy does not equal being rude nor does it reflect how I feel about anyone :)Thx for the love and support---Love you all. <3

45 comments:

I never got the "vibe" from you that you were snobbish or anything like that. I always thought that you were sweet (although I don't know you personally). But I understand that it takes a lot of time to answer EVERYONE's comments. And some folks have lives and other PRIORITIES that come first.

I honestly believe that some of these people demand TOO much. It's one thing if you have a personal question, but if you are asking questions that are relevant to a particular video and the answer to the question HAS ALREADY BEEN STATED in the video AND the description box, then I can see that person's question not being answered....because it's like okay people take the time to tape, edit AND upload these videos, and you can't take the time to watch the video in it's entirety (sp?). I think that's pretty rude.

I can't believe the video asked for people to comment on who they thought was a bad YT guru. It's really sad.

I reply to all of my emails from viewers, but that's because I don't have thousands of subs & I can. It's time consuming for me, so I couldn't imagine how it is for people with thousands upon thousands of subs. It's not possible to reply to all. I'm thankful enough to get tips and reviews off watching videos alone. That to me is a lot of time & interaction from the maker on it's own. Tiffany, you're such a sweetie &lol at CHUCK!

I saw the video that today. I agree, it is really sad. I didn't like that she was dropped a name, and was trying to make it clear who she was talking about. I also couldnt believe she was encouraging people to leave nasty comments and say who they don't like and unsubscribe/unfollow people. Quite sad and pathetic really. Of course everyone has an opinion on who they like and dont like but i personally think it should be kept to themselves.

I think some people ask too much from youtubers and personally i just appreciate that you take the time to make videos.

I agree with what others have said on here-the fact that you take time out of your day to make videos at all is amazing! Many of us look to people like you for information, tips and tricks, and inspiration, and to expect that you have time to do more than that is unreasonable. People have no idea how time-consuming making and editing a video is, not to mention even reading all of your you tube, blog and twitter questions/comments/responses. I don't think most people are offended when gurus don't respond, because we see that you have TONS of subscribers and viewers, plus a life of your own. You have the right attitude, by putting it past you and encouraging your followers to be positive. It must be hard seeing criticism and negativity like that! Keep up your amazing work!

Tiffany, you rock and you do not need to explain yourself. Your advice and attention given to your subscribers has been awesome and greatly appreciated. You are one of my favorite gurus and have inspired me to make videos of my own. I think everyone truly appreciates all your time and effort so thank you for being you! Please keep doing what you're doing, I love watching all your videos and continue to review them hehe =)

I know it really sucks! Also I hate watching videos and then scrolling down and seeing these awful comments. I mean why would you even bother, just turn it off if you don't like it, no need to be nasty!!!!

After watching the video I felt like it was highschool all over again....When really this is just online/youtube....idk what to say about that video....Anyways I really enjoy your videos, before I found any of your videos I wasn't really into makeup. Your videos inspired me to purchase a palette and brushes from coastalscents.com and I have started making eye makeup looks with the help of your tutorials. So thank-you very much I have a lot of fun and have been recommending others to your channel. Keep up the good work and positive attitude.

Well that may be why you have over 50,000 subscribers and they don't. It's obvious you have talent and knowledge on the subject and it's obvious that you're willing to share all that you know... people appreciate that and by being nice, and sharing what you know you've accomplished what you have... not by bashing other gurus.

I also think it's important to point out, that many times, popular gurus WILL point subs in the direction of people that they feel give good information and ARE nice. Too bad for this one. :)

well said tiffany.. i really hope subscribers out there realize how much work YT is.. making one video from start to finish practially takes a few hrs and that's not to mention only when YT is cooperating.. if it doesn't, that's a few more hrs invested.. following questions and answers.. right now i can reply to everyone, but i'm pretty sure that will not happen when or if i reach to ur status.. YT shouldn't be a place for drama but a place where we share and learn from each other. i hope this goes away soon.

I also saw that video, she compared you guys to Beyonce. I laughed at that, sure if youtube was paying you the millions dollars Beyonce make, I'm sure you would have more time to devote to youtube. YT is just a hobby, and it's ridiculous to think that it is anything more than that. That video was just stupid, people just get jealous.

Tiffany you are a great guru. So helpful and kind. I always leave you encouraging comments but I know that you can't possibly answer everything so I don't get offended at all. I understand that the way that some of the things she said in the video were very off putting and the things she put in the comments encouraging people to name names was really wrong but some good points were made on both sides of the arguement and I think that should be acknowledged by everyone.

1.) A guru with tens of thousands of viewer comments cannot respond to all comments on each video. Most people understand this. The ones who don't should be less demanding and more grateful and understanding.

2.) Gurus should also make sure that their subscribers feel respected too. Which means not being blocked, thumbed down or berated or called out on for giving constructive criticism. (sometimes it happens) I read all the comments and the good thing about the video was that it allowed some subscribers who HAVE been having certain feelings about things to express it so that the gurus can learn from it too.

Now I don't want all the Guru's to get angry and encourage their followers to think that everyone who voiced their honest opinion to think that they were wrong for feeling that way or are 'haters'. That's my only concern.

Tiffany..you are one of my favorite YT "gurus" and and love your vids and think you come off as a great person. But "but I take offense when my subscribers are lied to or are being given false information" this comment are you're referring the video that was made by so and so person? I don't see how she said anything false. She just stated what she thought and didn't name anyone's name...just one name was used as example. I'm not a sub of hers but I didn't and still don't see why everyone got so upset about in the end people will be subbed to who they want to and that's me. I didn't unsubscribe to any one I liked.

Anywho just my opinion..keep doing what you're doing and don't let it get to you.

And please don't encourage anything negative for the YT person that made the video either cause that would be a shame ;)

How on Earth can people realistically expect you to answer EVERY SINGLE TWEET!? I sometimes miss my real life friends when they tweet to me because they get lost in the stream and I only have 440 followers!

I think people need to realize that you all don't do this as a full time job. All of you have other things going on; jobs, school, family, whatever.

Next time somebody complains they should do a twitter search for @TiffanyLD because just a quick look showed 8 pages, at 20 per page, in the last day. That's 160 tweets to respond to!

I have my twitter account set up so that I see all replies because I think you can find more interesting conversations that way and if you were sending out 160 responses a day, on top of your normal tweets, then it would create a LOT of noise. If you AND the other gurus I follow did that it would be INSANE.

So really, THANK YOU for not responding to EVERY single tweet!

And I think you are seriously SO FAR from "snobby". If people actually thought that they wouldn't be subscribing and following you. COMMON. SENSE.

Tiffany you are definitely one of my favorite you tube gurus. I can see your point in why you guys cannot answer tweets, comments, etc because there are wayyyy too many. But I do see her point in e-mails or private messages. I'm sure you get a lot of those too, but if you ask us to e-mail you about a certain thing and you don't write us back it can get us to have a somewhat of a negative feeling toward you. On your blog you said to write you an email about freelancing and information on that. I live in Atlanta and was interested in you doing my makeup for an event. I wrote you and never got a response. I'm sure it just got overlooked or something. I still love your videos though!

I understand your frustration, but seriously, it's just youtube. Delete or ignore them, and move on. You are already empowering this person by devoting and entire blog to the issue. You will never be able to please 100% of the people 100% of the time. The majority of the people know that you aren't going to respond to every comment. Be happy with that and if you don't feel like you need to explain yourself, then don't.

I agree with both sides. However there could have been a more private conversation between those directly involved without it becoming so nasty. YouTube is fun and informative . That's all it should remain to be.

I am totally agreeing with you on everything but It wouldn't be normal for me not to want to see this video you are talking about. I am only human and when you bring something like this up people are obviously going to want to see what you are talking about. Can you or someone fill me in??

You're the first guru I subscribed to on YT. I remember your very first tutorial! I never think you're a snobby person, in fact, you're really fun! I've learned a lot about makeup and application from your tutorials. I enjoy everyone of them :)

The person who posted that video has 3000 subs, of course she can reply to pretty much everyone. The gurus that people were commenting about, Josh, Leesha, and you all have over 40,000 subs, to expect you guys to reply to every comment is ridiculous and selfish. Like I commented on Josh's video, I don't follow the gurus on twitter to talk to them; I do it b/c I like knowing what's coming up and to read the convos btw the gurus. When I get a reply am I happy, of course, but I'm not delusional enough to think that you have the time to reply to everyone.

I understand that YouTube is not your life and a hobby and I think that people need to remember that. Thank you for making videos, I love logging into YouTube and seeing that my favourite people have updates!

I have been your loyal sub for quite a while now, Tiffany. I saw the video you talked about and I don't understand why people have to use swear words to express their feelings, it gives such an impression that mighty English language doesn't have enough adjectives that can be beautifully used in this natter! Though I agree with one thing that was mentioned...Please don't get offended and think I am trying to be nasty, it is definately not what I am trying to do. But Twitter thing is a bit irritating. I know how it works and the problem is - many gurus invite one to follow them so one does go and follow them, guru gets automatic notification that so and so started following you and Twitter asks you if you want to follow this person as well. But the result is that all the gurus never accept that invitation! So what is the point of people following gurus if they don't really want to follow you back and converse with you. It looks like the idea behind inviting subs to follow gurus is more of to see how many will follow and that is all. Just expressing my thoughts on this matter and by any means don't want to offend you Tiffany. You help many people on YT with makeup tips! I agree with what Karen said here,maybe gurus just should consider some points of this dilemma...Bunnikins82

but do you think your subscribers are really stupid? or are they actually really stupid? I'm a subscriber. I saw the video in question, and I thought it was crap. I'm aware that you have a life just as I have a life. Are there really that many people who don't realize that you have a life outside of YT?

She's jealous. Look at her channel stats then look at yours. I wouldn't get worked up over it, it's just way to funny. I've emailed big time gurus with some of the dumbest questions and still gotten responses. I don't think I've encountered any snobby gurus so far.

As far as gurus following subs on twitter is concerned, there is a limit to how many people you can follow on twitter so its pretty hard for a guru to follow everyone that follows them. And you can still communicate with people that aren't following you, it just can't be a direct message. but there are other ways of direct messaging gurus outside of twitter so I don't see how that's a concern. I'm not anyone special on twitter and I don't follow everyone that follows me so I can't imagine following hundreds of people. You'd miss so much. I personally have sent messages to Tiffany on both twitter and youtube and have never been offended or upset that she didn't respond. I don't expect her to, but if she ever did I would be pleasantly surprised. And that's not because I don't think she responds to or wants to respond to people, I just understand that she has other things in her life. And if people actually do follow her they understand that too since she shares her life outside of makeup/youtube/etc. with subs/followers. And I like that, it makes you more of a "real" person and less of an "internet celebrity". Even though your makeup tutorials and product reviews are the primary reason I follow you, I also like your end of the month rambling videos and tweets about what you're making for dinner haha. So thanks, and don't change a thing. You obviously have a ton of followers that are very happy with how you handle things now :)

Girl you know how I feel about all of this YT drama...I'm just surprised that the video in question wasn't posted by someone else that loves to start the drama, haha. Just know that you were the first beauty guru I started watching on YT. I'm very proud of your accomplishments with your successful channel! You have some amazing talent and you are a smart and classy lady. Love ya Tiff! :)

I love your videos Tiffany! & I find that you do answer questions, which I am grateful for! (: I totally understand that you have a life of your own outside of YT and it's sad that people sometimes see only one side of things. Thank you so much for taking out YOUR time to make videos! (:

Thanks everyone for the kind words and support <3 Of course, I'm not encouraging you all to agree with me and I more than respect the fact that lots of you may not agree with me. I just wanted you guys to know how I felt. I know you guys are smart and can see through stuff, I just felt the need to respond and give my take on the situation since I'm in that situation she spoke of and I know how crazy things can get and how hard it would be for me to criticize anyone making videos on here that has a lot on their plate, ESPECIALLY after experiencing it myself. ...and that being busy does not equal being rude nor does it reflect how I feel about anyone :)Thx for the love and support---Love you all. <3

I don't understand how people can complain when this is such an AMAZING "service" that you and other beauty gurus provide to us for FREE!!! That seriously baffles me!!! I guess there are just some people out there who need something to complain about. My hope is that it doesn't discourage you, or anyone else, from making the videos and continuing to help the rest of us who SO appreciate it!

I don't have anything against you, actually I am one of your subscribers but I can see both sides of the she was making, she was over the top about it though and got kind of malicious about it and that wasn't right. But I do think when gurus get to a certain amount of subs they start thinking they are somehow better then people and prettier and some actually think they are a celeb!! It's crazy but true. No guru is a celeb. You don't get paid like celebs and you don't get followed like celebs. The beyonce comparison made me laugh because you guys aren't even on the same level. I don't know. whatever i don't think you should have justified her video with this response though.

Hey Tiffany, thanks for all your awesome posts and videos and Tweets. I haven't seen the other video you are referencing, but it sounds like someone is very jealous and trying to be a hater. I really appreciate you and your beauty tricks and wisdom you share!!! Keep em comin, your great.!! Sending you love from Cali!

I love your post in you tube and in your blog, you seem to be a very kind a nice person. Usually the ones who post those awful comments had a lot of bitternes in their lifes. Please keep the good work, the way you teach in your videos are great! I was a totally make-up impair, and I'm learning tons from you.Thanks